Happy Birthday, Minako
by Silver Sailor Ganymede
Summary: A tribute to Sailor Venus on her birthday. PGSM based. Minako doesn't want to spend her birthday alone, but is there anyone that actually cares about her?


Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.

**_(A.N: Today is October 22nd, which means… happy birthday Aino Minako!)_**

Happy Birthday, Minako  
By Silver Sailor Ganymede

Sometimes she wondered why she had become an idol. Being a singer with no face and no coveted image would have been so much better, she mused; had that been the case then people would have followed her for her music, not for her looks. Still this admiration she was subject to _did _have its perks at times, the mountain of presents and cards beside her proved that much. In fact it was rather strange really, the fact that she had received so many presents and yet not even one of them was from someone that actually cared about her.

She sighed as the realisation of this sunk in. It was the same every year, wasn't it? She knew that Artemis would have got her something if he could, but nevertheless Artemis was a plushie cat, not a person, and he couldn't physically have got her anything really. Maybe he could give her back more of the memories she wished for, but she didn't bother asking; she already knew that he would refuse to do anything of the sort.

Minako walked over to the window of the room and gazed out at the view that met her, a view of the city of Tokyo sprawling further than the eye could see and filled with more people than the mind could comprehend. How many of them knew her name, she wondered, and how many of them actually cared about her for who she really was? It was disheartening really that she could die tomorrow and no one would really care.

She thought of the other senshi and wondered what their reactions would be if… no, when she died. Ami would be upset; she was too kind-hearted not to be. Mako and Usagi would cry for the loss of their idol, but would they really care? She doubted it strongly; Minako the star was all that mattered to them, not Venus, not Minako the person. Then there was Rei, the only one of them that Minako couldn't figure out: perhaps she would let her guard down, perhaps she would cry, but most probably she would stay strong for the others and mourn silently; from what Minako had figured out, Hino Rei had been silently mourning for almost her entire life.

Minako turned away from the window, a thought coming into her mind. She would leave this place and actually do something; this was probably the last birthday she would ever have… no, there was no 'probably' about it; she was going to die in a few months, there was no more future to look forward too, only the past to look back at and prevent from repeating itself.

She slipped silently out of her appartment so as not to wake Artemis then ran as quickly as she could out of and away from the building. The air was cold that late October morning, the grey clouds still hanging in the air and blocking out the sun's light, making it seem to be late evening rather than nearing midday. She shivered and wrapped her coat closer around her, wishing she had brought a scarf with her as well.

Still the one good thing about this was that she did not have to be worried about being recognised and mobbed by fans. Who would ever have thought that Aino Minako would be limping down a street in the cold like this? She would have been ferried around in a limo, would she not? Whoever would have thought that Aino Minako would look so depressed, so ill, so sick of life: everything was perfect for idols like her, wasn't it?

She laughed bitterly at the thought: yes, life was so perfect, a life that was full of demons and lies. At least it would be ending soon. At least there would be no one to truly miss her when she was gone. But if that was the case then why was she walking along like this with tears in her eyes? Why was she wandering around, a lonely girl with only the thought of company in her mind? No one should have to be alone on her birthday after all, but she didn't deserve the company, she didn't have time for it, she had a mission to fulfill… but why was she heading to nowhere to find someone to talk to if that was actually the case?

After a while Minako realised that she had subconciously been heading towards the Hikawa Shrine. She wanted to turn around at first, but as soon as the thought had entered her mind she dismissed it; she wanted to see Rei, lonliness be damned. It didn't matter if Rei didn't know that it was her birthday, she simply wanted someone to talk to… someone, someone _human _who actually cared.

She walked slowly up the steps, dragging her feet as she did so. Why rush? She had the whole day ahead of her, and if Rei had no time for her then who would? It was better to postpone her final rejection than to hurry it up. She reached the top of the stairs and found Rei standing there in her robes. She looked surprised to see her, Minako noted, but that surprise soon turned to something resembling happiness.

"I was wondering when you'd turn up," Rei smiled at her.

"What do you mean?" Minako asked, a frown finding its way onto her face.

"No one should be alone on a day like this," Rei replied. She reached into a pocket and withdrew a box, handing it to Minako, who opened it, shocked. Inside she found a necklace, gold and topaz… but how had Rei known?

"I…" she began, but Rei held up a hand.

"There's no need to thank me," she laughed. "Happy birthday, Minako."

Minako smiled; she had found someone who cared after all.


End file.
